In U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,129 a horizontal balance beam is disclosed having a supporting leg assembly which is so arranged to leave the area below the beam clear. The beam is made of solid wood and it has been found that falls thereon often have serious consequences. Physicians have warned, in fact, that even simple exercises, such as rolls on the bare wooden beam may be enough to damage the spinal column permanently. Later designs have provided the beam with resilient coatings of a non-slip material, whereby incidents of accidents and injury have been reduced.
Unfortunately, experience has now shown that the stability of an athlete on the beam is adversely affected by the flexibility of a resilient coating thereon. Since it has been found that the resilient coating is necessary in the interests of safety, it would be desirable to retain the safety feature while at the same time providing increased stability in the resiliently coated beam.